Albemarle
203 mm/50 Mk IX on a Mk.III mount3 х 3 pcs. |
Rate of Fire4.62 shots/min. |
Reload Time13 sec. |
Rotation Speed8 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time22.5 sec. |
Firing Range14.27 km. |
Maximum Dispersion131 m. |
HE Shell203 mm HE 256 lb |
Maximum HE Shell Damage3,300 |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell17 % |
Initial HE Shell Velocity814 m./s. |
HE Shell Weight116.1 kg. |
AP Shell203 mm AP 256 lb |
Maximum AP Shell Damage4,500 |
Initial AP Shell Velocity814 m./s. |
AP Shell Weight116.1 kg. |
113 mm/45 QF Mk.V on an RP41 Mk.VI mount6 х 2 pcs. |
Firing Range6.6 km. |
Rate of Fire20 shots/min. |
Reload Time3 sec. |
HE Shell113 mm HE Mk XVI |
Maximum HE Shell Damage1,600 |
Initial HE Shell Velocity746 m./s. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell7 % |
533 mm QR Mk II2 х 4 pcs. |
Rate of Fire0.63 shots/min. |
Reload Time96 sec. |
Rotation Speed25 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec. |
Torpedo533 mm Mk IX** |
Maximum Damage15,533 |
Torpedo Speed62 knot |
Torpedo Range9.99 km. |
113 mm/45 QF Mk.V on an RP41 Mk.VI mount6 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second106.8 |
. . . Firing Range5.01 km. |
20 mm Oerlikon Mk.I on a Mk.IIA mount16 х 1 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second57.6 |
. . . Firing Range2.01 km. |
40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.VIII on a Mk.VII mount2 х 4 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second28 |
. . . Firing Range2.49 km. |
40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.VIII on a Mk.VI mount4 х 8 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second79.2 |
. . . Firing Range2.49 km. |
Maximum Speed33 knot |
Turning Circle Radius720 m. |
Rudder Shift Time15 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range12.06 km. |
Air Detectability Range7.7 km. |
Albemarle — British Tier VIII cruiser.
At the end of 1939, the British Naval Shipbuilding Office focused on the development of cruisers featuring 203 mm guns. In 1940, several designs for cruisers based on the Edinburgh-class ships were presented. The biggest of them in terms of size and combat qualities was a project for a cruiser with a displacement of 15,500 tons boasting three triple-gun turrets housing 203 mm guns. According to the plan, ships of this class were to be commissioned in 1944; however, the Admiralty was displeased with their low speed, and it was decided to abandon the project in favor of mass-constructing light cruisers.
Modules
Compatible Upgrades
Slot 1 |
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Slot 2 |
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Slot 3 |
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Slot 4 |
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Slot 5 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.
At first sight, Albemarle is only a marginal upgrade over her predecessor, Surrey. She equips 1 more gun for a total of nine 203mm guns in 3 turrets with a standard AB-X configuration. However, Albemarle is the first British heavy cruiser to receive access to an improved Repair Party that restores up to 40% of her total HP over 20 seconds (compared to the 14% over 28 seconds of her predecessor). Albemarle's enhanced Repair Party grants her increased survivability that is bolstered by her already high HP pool of 43,800, which is reflective of her heavy cruiser classification. On the flip slide, Albemarle also shares the mediocre handling of most heavy cruisers. Nevertheless, Albemarle's ability to out-tank cruisers she cannot out-damage—and even those she can—is a valuable trait.
Albemarle's HE is hard-hitting with among the highest maximum damage per shell of all Tier VIII cruisers (behind only the 234mm-armed Cheshire), though her AP performance is more lackluster. While her AP shells are capable of achieving citadel hits on broadside cruisers even 12 km away, astute enemy ships will quickly turn to eliminate further citadel opportunities and captains will usually default to her HE shells for their more consistent performance and relatively high fire-setting chance. With respect to her turrets, Albemarle's gun firing arcs are appreciably better for the aft turret. Because Albemarle's forward guns cannot turn very far toward the stern, firing more than 3 guns while retreating is dangerous. Captains may prefer to stay 12-15 km from enemy cruisers and battleships for easy opportunities to retreat, repair, return, and retaliate. Though Albemarle can hunt destroyers too, her 13 second main battery reload time handicaps her in this role.
Torpedo-wise, Albemarle is a welcome improvement over her predecessor. She mounts the same number of tubes—4 per side for a total of 8—with the same reload time of 96 seconds. Her torpedoes deal negligibly less damage for a 10 km range, 2 km greater than Surrey's, and a 62 knot speed. The 10 km range is just long enough to be periodically usable while the 62 knot speed does not cripple the practical damage-dealing capabilities of her torpedoes. With a full concealment build and camouflage, Albemarle even has a 0.2 km window to torpedo enemies while undetected. On top of that, Albemarle's torpedo arcs are wider than Surrey's and comfortable to use, increasing the practical utility of her torpedoes. The ability to launch torpedoes single-file, a characteristic shared with all other British ships but Campbeltown, further opens up additional opportunities to hurt even bow-tanking targets.
Overall, Albemarle is what captains can expect from a heavy cruiser with torpedoes. The increased efficiency of her British Repair Party is an added benefit that serves as a ship-saving fallback when engagements don't work out as planned. Albemarle is a reliable damage dealer on a platform designed to last and captains will fare well provided they keep her afloat long enough to take advantage of her heal.Pros:
- Good survivability from large HP pool (behind only Prinz Eugen and Tallinn) and enhanced Repair Party.
- Good HE shell damage and fire chance (both behind only Cheshire).
- Usable torpedoes with wide arcs, 10 km range, and 62 kn speed.
- Has access to Specialized Repair Teams
- Relatively good concealment for a Tier VIII cruiser.
Cons:
- Mediocre 15.7 km range (3rd shortest at tier), though augmented by Spotting Aircraft.
- Relatively long 13 second main battery reload time.
- Mediocre gun firing arcs that require exposing broadside to fire a full salvo.
- Slugglish handling. Accelerates and stops awfully slow with mediocre rudder shift time.
- Citadel sits above the waterline, showing broadside could be devastating
Research
Availability of researchable upgrades for Albemarle is as follows:
- Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) for more hit points, better AA and faster rudder shift time. Research of this module unlocks progression to Drake.
- Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to Mk VIII mod. 2 for an extra 10% range on the main battery.
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Albemarle are as follows:
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Engine Room Protection
- Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
- Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 1
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1
Commander Skills
Consumables
Albemarle can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Specialized Repair Teams
- Slot 3: Defensive AA Fire or Hydroacoustic Search
- Slot 4: Spotting Aircraft
Signals
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
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Combat | |||||
★ |
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★★ |
★★ |
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★ |
★★★ |
★★★ |
★★ |
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★★ |
Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
Historical Gallery
References
Ship Change Log
See here for links to Update notes.
- Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.8.10.
Testing Changes
- Oct 10, 2019:
- Preliminary characteristics.
- Nov 7, 2019:
- Main battery reload time increased from 11 to 12 s.
- Nov 11, 2019:
- Renamed from Bedford to Albemarle.
- Nov 29, 2019:
- Main battery reload time increased from 12 to 14 s.
- HE shell parameters changed:
- Maximum damage increased from 2,850 to 3,300.
- Fire chance increased from 15% to 17%.
- Repair Party consumable changed:
- Restoration of citadel damage increased from 33% to 50%.
- Dec 10, 2019:
- AP shell armor penetration increased by 10% at all ranges.
- Hydroacoustic Search consumable changed:
- Action time decreased from 180 to 100 s.
- Ship detection range increased from 3 to 5 km.
- Torpedo detection range increased from 3 to 3.5 km.
- Defensive AA consumable added in the same slot as Hydroacoustic Search.
- Jan 10, 2020:
- Main battery reload time decreased from 14 to 13 s.
- Update 0.9.0:
- Available from the Royal Pack or Imperial Pack in the Armory for early access.
- Introduced into the game as a researchable ship in Update 0.9.1.
- Update 0.9.2:
- Updated model and textures.
- Armor thickness changed: side armor increased from 25 to 27 mm.
- Update 0.9.3:
- Fixed a bug with incorrect firing range of secondary battery:
- Firing range of the secondary battery was increased from 3 to 5 km.
- Fixed a bug with incorrect firing range of secondary battery:
- Update 0.9.6:
- Fixed geometry and textures.
- Update 0.9.7:
- Minor fixes to geometry and textures.
- Fixed a bug due to which the main battery turrets received critical damage from HE shells without taking into account their armor.
- Update 0.10.0:
- Fixed a bug due to which the light bulbs on the main battery guns did not move along with the barrels in the "New Year" permanent camouflage.
- The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 6.6 km.